(Don’t forget — you can spread the word to journalists about this using the Spotlight function, located at the bottom of every post or here — JH)
ABC is clearly feeling some heat over their fictionalized drama, “The Path to 9/11,” set to air on September 10th and 11th. After pulling the public blog from the movie’s web site and stonewalling progressive and liberal bloggers late last week and through the holiday weekend about requests to preview the movie—for which Rush Limbaugh’s been breathlessly cheerleading—ABC flaks seem to be unwilling to allow bloggers onto a conference call scheduled today with Thomas Kean.
Along with Limbaugh, Kean, who is the Republican co-chair of the 9/11 Commission, has been publicly shilling for this movie. Conspicuously absent from this project is the Democratic co-chair of the Commission, Lee Hamilton. Also conspicuously absent? A truthful representation of 9/11 Commission report, as Sheldon Rampton documented here yesterday. And today we learn from ThinkProgress that Richard Clarke is refuting a key scene in the movie.
One might wonder on what sources screenwriter Cyrus Nowrasteh has based his movie, if not the actual 9/11 Report, or on interviews with those who were actually, um, there. From the sounds of joy emanating from the right-wing blogosphere over this movie, one might possibly conclude the docudrama is ripped straight from the pages of the Weekly Standard. (h/t Dave Meyer)
ABC entertainment prexy Steve McPherson told Variety, "Some things you do for commerce and some things because they are the right thing to do.” McPherson and others have been cloaking this docudrama wolf in non-partisan sheep’s clothing, despite having no Democrats prominently involved with the project, and allowing only right-wing partisan blogs and mainstream media outlets to preview the film—no left-wing or progressive blogs.
They’ve also plastered images of the 9/11 Commission Report itself all over the promotional materials, despite offering up a movie that directly contradicts the report. With avowed conservatives like Cyrus Nowrasteh and David Cunningham at the helm of this thing, it begs the question of what kind of political motivations lie at the heart of this project. Cuz they sure ain’t blowing truly non-partisan smoke in the public’s face with this so-called public service.
McPherson has said this project was conceived two years ago, and the network has certainly thought a lot about outreach for this Republican airbrushing of 9/11. They’ve even created lesson plans with the help of Scholastic, to pump America’s children full of Nowrasteh’s take on this American tragedy.
There are a few questions I’d like to ask Thomas Kean on that media conference call today, but ABC seems unwilling, as I write this post, to comply with my request to be on the call. So, I guess I’ll ask them here and ask for your help in circulating these and your own questions for ABC and Kean to members of the anointed media.
Questions for ABC:
– Why, if this is a non-partisan project, is only the Republican co-chair of the 9/11 Commission being asked to front this project?
– Why were many of the principals of this film, like Richard Clarke, not shown relevant scenes from the movie early on, so that research and scenes could be vetted—and corrected, if misrepresented?
– Why did you provide the movie to only right-wing bloggers and mainstream media in your advance outreach for this project, and not to left-wing bloggers and media?
– Was it the network’s or the PR firm’s idea to reach out in advance only to right-wing blogs, and to exclude left-wing blogs?
– If you were truly intending to provide a non-partisan public service to the American public, why not produce and air a true documentary actually based on the 9/11 Commission Report and vetted by both Democrats and Republicans?
– Did you know about Cyrus Nowrasteh’s and David Cunningham’s extreme conservative views?
– Will you consider pulling scenes proven to be false?
– Will you consider removing the “based on the 9/11 Commission Report” imprimatur from promotional materials, and from the miniseries itself on the air dates?
– Will you consider giving Richard Clarke and/or prominent Democrats, who disagree with this airbrushing of the 9/11 story, the opportunity to point out the movies flaws on network time?
– Will ABC News report on the controversy over this project in the one-hour news special scheduled to air on September 11, following the movie?
Questions for Thomas Kean:
– Did you have any reservations about promoting this movie without the Democratic co-chair of your Commission?
– Were you a paid consultant on this project, and if you were, do you have any misgivings at this point about trading in on your Commission role?
– Do you think it’s in the best interest of this nation to offer up this docudrama, which directly contradicts your own report in several instances, as being “based on the 9/11 Commission Report?
– Did you recommend to the screenwriter, director and producers that there should be Democratic vetting of this project as well?
– Do you believe that American children should be treated to well-documented and balanced accounts about 9/11, or do you give your blessing to students being served up lesson plans based on this movie, which has been proven to directly contradict your own Commission’s findings?
At this point, I have no way of knowing who will be on the call with Kean today. I’ve sent several requests to ABC, for a review copy of the movie and to be on the call. I’m told they are sending the review copy, but I’ve received no answer about today’s call. Perhaps ABC still doesn’t understand that blogs represent engaged citizens who care about this nation, and who have the right to speak up when something that smells a lot like propaganda is being served up as the truth.
If they’ve got nothing to hide, they should honor serious requests for interviews from reporters representing any outlet with an audience.
Those are OUR airwaves, after all.
Related posts:
- GRITtv Live: Jeremy Scahill and Glenn Greenwald – Who’s Afraid of the Independent Press?
- Bill Press: Lou Dobbs’ Birther Lunacy is Killing CNN’s Credibility
- FDL Book Salon Welcomes Eric Boehlert, Bloggers on the Bus: How the Internet Changed Politics and the Press
- Consumer Protection Agency Approved by House Committee; Auto Dealer Financing Exempt
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ABC sucks! Creating their own reality indeed…
Roots!
Anyone interested in spreading the word to journalists that this is not okay can hit the “spotlight” function above and find an amazing list of contacts. It’s an incredible tool and if you haven’t checked it out, now is a great time to do so.
Boycott ABC and their advertisers!!
OT – CNN just said Murtha will have a response to Chimpy’s speech today
I spotlighted the editorial and political writers at the L.A. Times yesterday.. will send this on as a follow-up…
ThinkProgress also has an easy way to send your thoughts to ABC. Just click on their “Tell ABC to tell the Truth” graphic.
(or click here)
Question for Steve Jobs:
— Do you think it is good for Apple to offer this material for downloading, free of charge?
If the answer is yes, then I’m tossing my iPod in the trash.
[Info about downloading from Variety article, described/reposted here by FS.]
Presidential Daily Briefing “Bin Laden Determined to Attack U.S.” is the only 9/11 story that needs to be told.
In the Variety article cited on the previous thread, there’s this little item at the end:
Question for ABC: Is the ratio of 5 hrs 40 minutes of fictionalized 9-11 ABC Entertainment content to 20 minutes of ABC News content the new balance you are shooting for? Or couldn’t the Entertainment producers fill that last 20 minutes, to tidy up the schedule?
thinkproress has a form letter to ABC asking them to correct inaccuracies. http://thinkprogress.org/tellabc
all right, LA Times contacted…
Rat Fucking 101:
We need to be smart.
In addition to the massive protesting we are doing to the usual places, we need to hit them where it hurts.
…..The STOCK MARKET
We should target a massive warning to the stockholders on various stockmarket sites that the stock is about to tank pending an SEC “S.O.” suit due to Scholastics Participation in this Proaganda venture with ABC. This would spread like wildfire throughout the stockmarket and people that own stock could start going “WTF!”
Jennifer, Jane — asking why only “right-wing” blogs and not also “left-wing” blogs makes this sound as if the problem is the familiar “balance,” when the central problems here are (as you note): (1) accuracy and journalisitc integrity and (2) presenting propaganda as journalism.
Richard Clarke would not call himself “left” or “right” and asking him and other informed witnesses and experts to fact check this piece is not the same as “balance” between left and right. Clarke and others should have been consulted and any errors fixed, or the project dumped.
The exclusive preference to “right-wing” blogs/pundits is a clear sign that neither accuracy nor journalistic integrity was the goal; instead it was right-wing propaganda. If we are to spotlight this to other journalists, I think the argument is stronger if you appeal to their professionalism and point out the fact that that sound journalistic principles were not followed, so this piece should not be allowed to masquerade as journialism.
Does anyone know anything regarding if we can file complaints with the FCC once this airs? Can we complain that it is slander against a former President or that we find the distortions to be a misuse of public airwaves?
Hey, Folks:
Former Democratic Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell is Chairman of the Board at Disney, and has been since 2004. If Lee Hamilton can’t get behind the promotion of this pap, then Mitchell may be persuaded to lean on programming for some late edits, at least.
Here’s his snail address, from the Disney site:
Chairman of the Board
The Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, California 91521-0931
Richard Clarke’s got hold of a chunk of the first part of this crap-fest, and it has lies out the wazoo which he’s already debunked: http://thinkprogress.org/2006/…..lasts-abc/
epu’d but it works here too
I’ll tell you what, more people need to be referancing page 128 of the 9/11 report
it’s documented president clinton received a pdb almost identical to he one bush received
we need to referance the actions that are supposed to be taken versus the actions this pesident took
Re Spotlight – Some folks may want to contact local ABC affiliates. This can be done by.
1) Unchecking “Print”
2) checking “TV”
3) Check “Regional”
4) Enter a two-letter state code
5) press “Update”
6) select targets
7) press “Next”
And continue as normal.
If you want to see even more contacts you can all click “more>>” to see expanded options and then check “All”.
Hope this helps.
TP also has a way to contact ABC to fix or deep-six this crappy lie-fest:
http://thinkprogress.org/tellabc
I got an email back from Arnie Kleiner at the local ABC affiliate: (Los Angeles)
Me to Me: Got link? Preferably not from Nowrasteh?
I’m really resonating to the idea if this Made For TV Sheeple Movie breaks any FCC, FEC, and SEC laws, not to mention the Sarbanes-Oxley compliance issues that looseheadprop pointed out on the last thread.
Is it an illegal campaign expenditure by a corporation? Especially this close to an election?
JENNIFER !
EPU’d from downstairs:
Jersey Girls endorse this 9/11 piece: watch that 2 minute trailer
http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…..4056/94108
Contact Info via earlier Kos diary:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…..7519/08845
send these questions to your local affiliates
I just did.
I spotlighted the previous post to business editors as well as editorial/opinion editors. Included were some of the points that various people made. (lhp: nice one about where the money came from and what it’s going to do to the bottom line. I used that!) I hit some of the regional (more conservative) papers with it.
Just sent my letter through Think Progress.
If the ABC lackeys spew the “this is only intended to be entertainment and not an accurate retelling”, then ask them why the hell they’re having Scholastic issue TEACHERS’ GUIDE on the damn thing!
I’m not sure of Arnie’s official position at the ABC affiliate in Los Angeles (got the email address from a parent’s website) but if someone can add it to the Spotlight feature, that would be nice…
Arnie dot Kleiner At abc dot com
OldCoastie @ 27
I need his position/title. And is he with ABC News or ABC corporation?
I just sent my email to ABC
Reposted from previous thread, mostly because you should really be calling up this guy and asking WHY liberal bloggers are not being permitted to take part in the Kean conference call…
After searching for a while, I finally came up with a phone number for ABC/Disney’s corporate PR department. They referred me to someone else, Kevin Brockman, who is VP for Publicity for ABC… here is his phone number
1 818 460 6655
At the bottom of the Fact or Fiction? thread, me to me points out that the 9-11 Commission report has Clinton with a pdb similar to the one Bush got on Aug. 6, 2001, and suggests we contrast the subsequent behavior of the two.
William Rivers Pitt has an article at truthout that starts on this project.
who’s triss bedford?
me to me @
17
And I’ll reprise my reply
m2m, have you got a website or blog? A lot of folks have been posting great and useful stuff here, such as yourself. It would be wonderful if there was a one-stop webpage or small site where all this stuff was collected and organized by topic with links to source documents, etc. That would help everyone to have facts at their fingertips for refutations, talks w/school principals, blog comments, e-mails to ABC or whoever. We could stop by to get ammo for letters and e-mails. It would make a great antidote to the Scholastic stuff, too, if it was available for school kids — a great way to get them initiated into original research!
This would be a great service, if you are up for it.
…Time for Mickey’s Jihad
;>)
Jane Hamsher @
3
Just spotlighted with some commentary. Thanks for providing this tool, Jane.
Off the Raw Story presses.
The Nation to unmask Plame CIA role: Developing
Jack
OldCoastie @
20
OldCoastie, do you believe it? It SOUNDS sincere, but these bastards have eroded my trust.
Although off topic, let’s see what happens this afternoon with this developing story from Raw Story:
The Nation to unmask Plame CIA role: Developing…
Thanks, Paul!
Also: Got this from a friend of mine. Copy and paste and spread the word:
Mark Steckel @ 28
Mark, I think he is the president of the local Los Angeles ABC affiliate, but I haven’t been able to confirm that… I’m pretty sure he’s corporate, not news…
These programs are a big fat lemon that can make us a lot of lemonade. They give us a megaphone to contradict their lies by shouting out two facts not generally known by the American people: 9/11 was Bush’s FAULT in that he ignored the intelligence that could have prevented it and 2:far from all the brave words about “tinhorn terrorists” that could find him “at home” he beat a cowardly retreat on that day, hopping from one hiding place to another on Air Force One. We need to encourage Democrats to Democrats to make these commonsense arguments.
Spotlighted this post, as well as one from yesterday, and added some polite but pointed commentary.
Thanks again, Jane, for this wonderful tool.
For what it’s worth, in addition to sending these things to executive types, I have also been sending to those reporters who have shown an interest in digging out the facts – people like David Schuster and Charlie Savage. Executives worry about the bottom line, but reporters – the few remaining real ones – like to have something substantial to sink their teeth into.
Over at DailyKos, Mumon suggests doing to ABC what we did to Sinclair — hit ‘em where it hurts, in their stock prices: http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…..14751/1188
Boycott ABC, Disney, their affiliates, and their advertisers. They may be able to steal elections–but you can still vote with your pocketbook. Any organization that would even THINK of practising to deceive about such an important topic deserves to be run out of town on a rail.
This movie is directed at keeping the true believers, the Authoritarian followers as John Dean discussed in his book and on Sunday, on the republican boat. The makers of this movies and its republican manipulators do not care if there are lies, it is directed at giving their base the lies to keep on believing.
Because without a steady stream of propaganda, they might just start looking elsewhere for their beliefs.
Can the blogosphere get the truth about the ‘lies’ in this movies into mainstream? That is the big million buck question. Will the airwaves carry the truth or the lies? This is yet another test of the blogs’ strength.
We shall see.
LindyH @ 37
OldCoastie, do you believe it? It SOUNDS sincere, but these bastards have eroded my trust.
I get the impression that I certainly irritated him… I wrote him back and thanked him for responding and then promptly cut and pasted this article and sent the link for the Think Progress Richard Clarke response… I’m guessing, if nothing else, he might have been a bit surprised… if this was the 10,000th email he received, I probably wouldn’t have heard back… or I would have received a much more canned response…
I do think it’s important to be polite… it would be nice if these guys would start asking the questions we would ask if given the chance…
The first delusion needing dispelled is that the airwaves belong to the public. Law and policy are not reality. Supposedly there is something called the 4th Amendment but we can all agree in fact it doesn’t exist. Now, once you’ve ceded the public has no expectation of fair play, facts or bipartisanship over the commercial or non-profit airwaves where is your argument going? Bush and his proxies are going to lie to you all they damn well please, just like they’re going to read your mail, listen to your phone calls, review your finances and medical records and even come into your home without a warrant. You all just don’t get it. It’s over. Game, set, match. And don’t go thinking you’ll vote in some regime that’s going to reverse or undo the damage done. You have a third party that’s going to take Congress and the Presidency? No, you’re going to vote in Democrats and they’ll make things right? Ha, ha, ha, ha!! They’re going to repeal Patriot and restore order? They’re going to set free the detained and rendered? Maybe, and the first little incident the Right can point to and connect Dem moves to a terror event it’ll all come undone again, only get worse. The U.S. citizenry is in a permanent state of pissing down their legs, a perfect mindset for fascism and fearmongering, two traits the right possesses in spades. ABC is the spokeman for government, just as is Fox and CNN and MSNBC. With a few minor deviations they spew what they’re fed and pray for ratings points. Just as the public flocks to horror movies for the thrill of being frightened they turn to the news for a good scare. The networks are more than happy to accommodate them.
Check out Dennis Mazzocco’s book “Networks of Power” for a history of Capital Cities/ABC and its ties to J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI and various US intelligence agencies.
Spotlighted
Jen, thanks for a terrific post. I put the fact that you are an editor of a book on the New York Times Best Seller list, “How Would a Patriot Act,” up front.
ABC and anyone affiliated with this project must feel the pain. We must bringeth thy pain unto them and smite them mightily, as Mel Gibson might sayeth.
I would say I’d boycott ABC but I don’t watch TV anymore so that won’t get them quivering in their boots. I do suggest that anyone out there with school age children contact Scholastic Books and let them know how you feel about their publishing a Readers Guide for this movie. I wrote them and told them my 5 year old son will not be reading anymore Scholastic product. I also told them that to lie and propagandize little children is a form of child abuse.
MAKE THEM FEEL THE PAIN. The PAIN, THE PAIN…
They have no interest in catapulting the propoganda with left wing bloggers.
Honestly, anyone still watching this crap after 5 years has a problem already anyway. I couldn’t stand to see the worst failure in American security ever again myself. it’s like watching the levees break in NOLA again.
I heard they lied and put a lot of the blame on President Clinton shouldn’t ABC be loosing its FCC license? How much not in the public’s interest can it be to lie about a president when the details in question are part of the public record! Steve Jobs needs to start showing up at disney board meetings between this and the stock option scandal I’m thinking maybe he should just stay on the tech side of things. Real Executives KNOW WHAT THEIR COMPANIES ARE DOING! One more mistake and I’m selling my Apple and buying an IBM
I’m not much of a writer and don’t really have the “goods” to make any particularly astonishing arguments, but I figure passing the works of others who are great writers with good logic politely but emphatically can’t hurt…
Keep passing this along and don’t be afraid!
oooh, first use of Spotlight feature -
me likey, me really likey
doesn’t hurt to contact your local paper’s Movie/TV critics via Spotlight either
Cheers to Jennifer Nix for this post!
Mark Steckel – thanks for directions at 9:14
Sent to:
San Francisco Chronicle
CA ABC Affiliates
Marin Independent
FDL – thanks again for the empowerment.
there is no ABC affiliate in connecticut. so sad. but i did send a spotlight to Rhode Island ABC affiliate. nice program jane. spotlight ROCKS
Isn’t LOST one of ABC’s biggest shows, that along with Gray’s Anatomy and Desparate Housewives. I’m willing to forego watching the premier of these shows. I don’t have a TIVO but certainly if I did I would not program the TIVO to ABC.
I commented on this yesterday but I thought it was important so I will say it again. Last night on the ABC nightly news, Dan Harris had a piece where he attacked Robert Greenwald’s documentary “Iraq for Sale” on private contractor abuses in Iraq. What struck me at the time was with what gratuitous glee the anchor and Mr. Harris skewered the documentary as a purely partisan liberal attack even though their own setup suggested it was a scandal which the Republicans were eager to cover up. It was all just very odd. But that wasn’t the end of it. There was this:
So it wasn’t just about Robert Greenwald but liberals and documentaries in general. And then there was the insidious equation of “liberal documentaries” with conservative talk radio, i.e. that both are partisan and fact free.
Perhaps it’s just me but I couldn’t help but think, given the tone and the timing, that this had something to do with the ABC 911 “documentary”. It smacked of payback. You slam our documentaries and we’ll slam yours.
The ABC documentary was never mentioned but just sort of hung over the piece. They emphasized that Greenwald’s documentary would be shown before “partisan” groups like churches and labor unions before the November elections. Now while their own 911 mockumentary may be going up against a couple of football games, it will still be on primetime television and have an audience of millions. Oh yes, and it too will be aired before those same November elections.
Perhaps it’s all a coincidence. You decide.
I don’t have the video but this is the link to the story.
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=2392965
ElectricGrendel @
14
Anyone can file a complaint with the FCC about anything that is under their jurisdiction.
OT – joe’s website is still in a static state… you’d think with all the rooty-toot-toot, it’d be working by now…
Pat Preblica is handling the publicity for The Path To Hell for ABC. Her number is 212-456-7819.
OT Congratulations to Charlie Crist on the birth of his daughter.
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sp…..p;date=Sep 4, 2006&author=ADAM C. SMITH, TIMES POLITICAL EDITOR&pub=St. Petersburg Times&edition=&startpage=1.B&desc=Crist confronts paternity claim
pete @ 55
Yes there is – WTNH. Please click the “more>>” link and then check “All” in addition to specifying CT for the state.
Attn: Thom Hartmann on Sirius just quoted the other Jennifer Nix story about the ABC film.
It would be effective if Bill Clinton and some other Clinton Hands (Albright, e.g.) would weigh in publicly and loudly if this thing is the stinker it now appears to be…
Ethan @ 47
Remember this barbed hook is inside ABC and it’s publicly known. How are these people supposed to act under true Orwelian circumstances? Many inside may be very happy we are doing this today.
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/…..-abc-news/
thanks Mark @61. i will go look
To echo and expand scarecrow’s point at 13, I don’t believe that the issue of “balance” is one worth pursuing. In fact, the director, Cunningham, tried to use “balance” as a smokescreen, claiming without evidence that some would see “Path to 9/11″ as Bush-bashing as well as Clinton-bashing. As much as people like him try to conflate “balance” with “factual basis,” we are going to push back against this propagandist’s dodge.
Poppycock. This P.O.S. claims to be based on the 9/11 Commission Report and yet contradicts it, inserting fiction where facts are advertised to be. Spotlight this fraud to everyone you can reach. Let’s at least have them know that instead of being fooled, we are disgusted.
Phoenix Woman @ 21
as I said, page 128. the report is free on line, download it
I can’t seem to cut and pste off of it, I have it in front of me fight now
Mark – Arnie Kleiner is the General Manager at the Los Angeles affiliate… (also listed as President)
Suggestion:
There are a ton of people emailing ABC, which is great. However, I believe the most effective action is to act locally.
Contact your local ABC affiliate and express your concern about airing this show. Also let them know that you will be contacting their local sponsors. Personally, I’m going to contact sponsors and let them know that I will be boycotting any products that are advertised within the promotion period of the show and shortly after the show (probably -7 days and 3 days of 9/0 – 9/11)
Your voices will be much more effective on a local level.
OldCoastie @ 68
Thanks. I need to take off for a bit but I will get this entered later today.
OT – Murtha ‘pre-buttal’ to today’s chimp speech – “bush has 2 options, change the course or reinstitute the draft.”
Thanks Hugh at 9:54, I missed it yesterday.
twolf1 @ 71
To Surge or Not To Surge
cbl @ 53
works pretty well, doesn’t it? seems a little intimidating at first, but all very logical… after your 1st time – super easy-peasy…
hooray for Mark!
Thanks *atou and scarecrow.
Jennifer – Pls change “left-wing bloggers” to “progressive bloggers”.
PROOF THAT THIS IS A REPUBLICAN ADVERTISMENT HIT PIECE AND ALSO THAT ABC CAN’T GET SPONSORS TO SIGN ON TO SUCH UN-AMERICAN EVIL!
After originally announcing its intention to air “The Path to 9/11″ with limited commercial interruption, the network now will air both parts of the $30 million Harvey Keitel starrer without any advertising.
http://www.variety.com/ index.asp?layout=story&articleid=VR1117949477&categoryid=14&cs=1&s=h&p=0
Variety magazine
Perhaps this has already been mentioned so excuse me if I overlap.
With this “docu-drama” someone need to start tracking down the money trail. Sure we know about the director but who is financing this slanted piece of crap?? Just like the Swiftboaters were tracked down and exposed, so should this film.
It might be very interesting to see who threw money in the pot to make and produce this film.
If I were Sandy Bergers lawyer, I might be drafting a note about now.
aquarius2 -
I think this may be exactly right…
Hugh – Holy zinger! I missed that as well. Would be nice to get that point added in the post. Quite spot worthy imo.
Just maxed out a couple of spotlight emails on national ABC then Missouri. Hope it helps.
Variety (via Eschaton) reports that it will air commercial free. No sponsors to take shit, maybe a suit could be filed claiming it is clearly a campaign contribution to the Gambinos.
I no longer live in NYC (sadly), but I always thought that the sidewalks in front of the networks would be prime place for a timely protest – because this would get attention of the other networks as well – NY being NY after all. I am not sure how to do this – there are laws on mass demonstrations, ditto honking, in NYC but I bet something timely (and creative) could be done. Say, a toilet paper give away in front of ABC offices, with supporters coming in with rolls of same to give away sheets to passers-by – along with an explanation.
By the way, yesterday in front of my local movie theatre was a group of 6 or so super women self identified as the Raging Grannies, singing an anti-Iraq war tune – apparently of their making. It was awesome, and they got the attention of quite a few.
But our winners, ABC television. It still plans to air, next weekend, what it calls a documentary, supposedly factual, supposedly based on the 9/11 Commission report, which it calls, “The Path to 9/11.” This, even after it was revealed that the program puts primary blame for 9/11 not on Osama bin Laden or terrorism, but on Bill Clinton.
You know, blame America first, as Secretary Rumsfeld would say.
ABC television today‘s “Worst Persons in the World.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14682063/
OT – chimpy giving a speech right now – live on msnbc…
#39 phoenix…
The Scholastic url lead to a dead end and the 800 number did not work from my 201 area code phone…
Well Disney has a history of producing propaganda pieces, so it’s not too surprising that they are involved in this. Here’s one of the Bugs Bunny cartoons from WW2: Herr Meets Hare.
The one I wanted to link was their anti-Japanese cartoon…I’m uploading that to YouTube right now, it’s not only propaganda, it also manages to be extremely offensive with racial stereotypes.
OldCoastie @ 85
cnn and cspan too (and more)
talking about 9/11 – big surprise
twolf1 @ 88
did this guy even take “Speech 101″?
“I’m gonna talk about… and then I’ll talk about….”
OT:
WTF, over (NY Daily News):
So, critics of the war in Iraq are at par with those who would appease slavemasters?
Way to go, Condi.
I have a theory…
If this “television event” (swallow vomit here) was really two years in the making, it might be important to look at the political climate two years ago. Sure, centrists and lefties were making a stink, but it was still all about the right-wing spin machine (and let’s face it, it still is, though not as much). So any production that would attempt to tell a 9/11-related story would do well to have Rush’s and Sean’s and Ann’s blessing, because they, at the time, at least seemed to represent most Americans’ viewpoints. And if that means minimizing Bush’s blame in letting 9/11 happen, then so be it. After all, the left was shouting, but they weren’t given many places TO shout, so most Americans never heard them. Their facts came from people who would lovingly endorse this docudrama, so long as it were free of facts…that their viewers rely on them to provide…
Now…well, what difference two years makes. We now see a majority of Americans moving, if not over to the left, at least towards the left. But the production was borne in a different national mindset, and some of the Kool-Aid drinkers felt it important to go from “minimizing Bush’s blame” to “maximizing Clinton’s blame, even if it means making crap up out of whole cloth.” That train was in motion, the track was set, there was only one station that particular train could arrive. It’s now merely a question of the conductors only pointing out the scenery they want you to see, look at the patriots on the right, don’t pay attention to the screaming meemies on the left (trying to get your attention with the facts, they must be cuh-RAY-zee!) and try not to pay attention the smell of burning rubble and charred flesh behind the train.
ABC now obviously has a partisan piece of poo, and all they really wanted was strong ratings and a guaranteed “grabber” to make that happen. The left-wing media machine, while not as big as the right, is certainly bigger than it was 2 years ago, and something that ABC probably never would’ve anticipated back then. And the minstream media is now-FINALLY!-asking questions they should have been asking all along. They can’t protect themselves from this abomination. They can’t go off the rails, even though the track has been blocked by millions of Americans who actually want the truth, including the families of all those who died on 9/11, and the families of soldiers who die in Iraq for no damn good reason today, who deserve the truth. All they can do is hope their little train won’t actually hurt anybody as it runs them over. Good luck.
We can talk about boycotts and equal time until we’re blue in the face, but really, perhaps the best thing to do is to keep doing what the left-wing blogs have been doing for two years now-spread the word. Send a link to firedoglake, thinkprogress, americablog, etc. to as many people as you can. Let them know that the events of 9/11 will be used as a political tool. Let them know their emotions will be manipulated for ratings, and in the hopes that they will help make you more uninformed, and more likely to vote with you heart instead of your head on Election Day. Some people, the Kool-Aid drinkers, won’t be happy with your link. They’ll accuse you of having a left-wing bias (to which you can reply “Truth should have no bias, and this docudrama is not telling you the truth”). But enough people will question why facts needed to be changed, and enough people will be turned-off by the whole endeavor, to turn off ABC on the 10th and the 11th. The propaganda will fail, and we can go forward in making Election Day mean something this year.
By all means, keep making a stink. Demand time on ABC News, beg Olbermann & Stewart & Colbert to get the word out in their irreverent and insightful ways. That’s just as important. But email friends and family. Link, and don’t stop linking. And don’t stop hoping.
Rep. Louise Slaughter Is now on Board:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/9/5/131631/8639
No mention of the Scholastic Propaganda push though……WTF?
Just sent this to the PR person for Alaska’s three ABC TV outlets:
On September 10 and 11, ABC will be broadcasting a “docu-drama” about events leading up to the awful tragedies of September 11, 2001. The movie has been shown to selected groups of conservative media personalities, writers and bloggers. Few if any liberal media types have been shown the movie, or offered an opportunity to view it before the upcoming premiere.
The movie contains dramatic scenes which are being refuted by the principals of the actual events being depicted. Richard Clarke, counter-terrorism chief for both Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush, has refuted a key scene which is not simply inaccurate, but seriously malicious in its contention that President Clinton passed up a particular opportunity to catch or kill Osama bin Laden.
Does KIMO Channel 13 have a policy which requires you to review such material for accuracy before broadcast? Will your station be provided with copies of this movie before broadcast? If so, will you offer pre-viewings to people in Anchorage who might be knowledgeable enough about the film’s content to assist your station in assessing the movie’s accuracy?
OldCoastie @ 89
He did but his teacher was a bonobo.
(FDL running a little too slowly for me at the present to attempt to live blog it)
What grade level is the scholastic curriculum targeted toward?
I would also like getting everyone to start putting terrorism in perspective
the American indians were “terrorists” by todays standards, though they were obviouly protecting their country from invasion and were really insugents, their form of revolt was considered terrorism to us
Ed*ard Teller @
95
I believe grades 7-12.
Ed*ard Teller @ 95
I think it’s high school – grades 9-12… and yes, the tubes are a bit slow this morning (and chimpy is making me sleepy)
Did Bush just say that Bin Laden himself started a media campaign to create a wedge between America and it’s government?
Kurt @
87
Kurt – that’s a Warner Brothers cartoon; Warner Brothers has never been affiliated with Disney.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warner_Brothers
shorter Bush – If you favor leaving Iraq, you are a member of Al Qaeda
Iraqi @ 77
State pension funds are heavily invested in Disney/ABC, a Dow Jones component. If you are a state employee, why not contact your state’s treasurer and express “concern?” Running this without commercial revenue, in light of all the costs of shilling it (much less the biased screenings list) seems like an abdication of Disney’s fiduciary responsibility.
The wags at Disney were quick to run to the state pension funds when they needed shareholder support. I’m sure they would be receptive to inquiries from big investors now.
;-)
twolf1 @ 100
I don’t know… can’t.listen.too.carefully!
I’m thinking chimpy is having a real hard time inflating obl back up to his former size scary-scary jumbo image…
So, why is bin Laden still alive GWB? Grrr…
According to current and former officials, the Bush administration diverted precious assets, including U.S. military special operations forces, intelligence operatives and spy satellites from tracking al-Qaida to the war in Iraq.
http://www.commondreams.org/he…..126-10.htm
Simultaneous with the effort to expose to the public this republican propaganda shilling by ABC, should be a center-left threat of boycott of all things ABC. If you don’t hurt ‘em in their pocketbook, they ain’t a gonna listen.
.
Condi uses Civil War to slap Iraq critics
twolf1 @ 100
ObL – the perfect straw man. As many here know, I doubt bin Laden made many if any of the statements Bush is attributing to the former (very former).
Scholastic is US publisher of Harry Potter books. Harry Potter writer JK Rowling is no conservative – exact opposite.
If she hears about the scope of this controversy and calls her US publisher, the backtracking will start.
Chimpy “Hitler wanted to eradicate the juice”
Parts of this speech sound like a speech a football coach would give to a losing team at half-time.
Phone number posted at 39 is not a valid number–wonder how long THAT’s been the case. *G*
here is Louise Slaughter’s exact press release, for easy reference, if anyone wants to include that in emails to ABC.
http://www.louise.house.gov/in…..mp;Itemid=
chimpy – “taking stock” – you notice no specifics and right back on to how dangerous al qaeda is…
so, georgie-porgie, exactly what HAVE you accomplished?
Stephen Parrish, CPA @ 101
Oops, you’re right, sorry bout that! I get my cartoon characters confused hehe.
Here’s the Donald Duck propaganda piece by Disney: Education For Death
OfT: Ed*ard Teller, you broke this at FDL IIRC,
Alaskagate: While We Were Out
From TPM
I haven’t had a chance to read it.
Reporters will reveal what outed CIA officer did for agency
The long Labor Day weekend is over and the midterm election campaign has officially started. President MCLUSTERFUCK got a head start on the season and is promising all war on terror- 24/7- from now until election day. Goopers have even decided to abandon plans to pass an immigration bill before the election- choosing to concentrate on “WOT”.
Chimpy McClusterfuck has gone down this road before- speaking every day for weeks on Iraq in order to change people’s minds. It didn’t work. What makes him think it will work now? Is he an idiot or a misunderstood genius?
This is a bought, paid for, marketed piece of propaganda and we should understand that it is just the first of what will become a campaign strategy. This is an ad with no disclaimer. It is being marketed, as I note ThinkProgress is revealing, as a hit piece. Rep strategy just upped the ante and slipped this in because there are no laws prohibiting this angle of work, just as we’ve seen editors who lack the integrity of Jennifer allow Coulter to toss out her lies. It’s all about getting the message out and that’s why I commend FDL’ers for stepping up to the hard work of getting ahead of this alarming lie.
rwcole:
Is he an idiot or a misunderstood genius?
Let’s ask Assrocket.
:-)
Chumpy just pointed all Murkins to this:
National Strategy for Combating Terrorism
new thread
Here and here are Disney shorts representative of WW2 propaganda that Kurt alluded to…’Der Fuehrer’s Face’, and Commando Duck, redolent with stereotypes that would be found unpalatable today.
To be fair, they are cartoons, not turgid so-called ‘docudramas’ based on heavily-reported and witnessed events in history, yet ignoring said facts in pursuit of a false partisan agenda.
As per someone at Daily KOs, Bush just said Iran is now seeking Nuclear Weapons. Let the war drums now begin again, and the promotion of “patriotism” and Republicanism as we head for the next election.
If you own a tivo and it has any ABC programs set for recording may I suggest deleting them asap. This will register on important tracking systems by early tomorrow morning.
And what else were we supposed to pay attention to this week? Ooh yes, the excusing of Govt workers from whistleblowing immunity, the John Bolton renewal and what else? My dialing finger is itchy.
twolf1 @ 116
Oh, so THIS is why we need all the 9-11 buzz–to counteract the furor about the deliberate destruction of our best information sources wrt wmd in Iran………..
The Nation has a story out from David Corn (from the book “Hubris” with Isikopf) on what Valerie Plame Wilson did at the CIA.
What Valerie Plame Did
darkblack @ 122
Actually the last one I linked to was “Der Fuhrer’s Face”, it was improperly labelled. HERE FINALLY!! hehe, is what I was trying to link to :)
Click Me!
Love the Spotlight, I just used for all the local ABC stations listed in PA.
Thank you for doing this.
Cyrus Nowrasteh apparently has a colon full of faries, nymphs and unicorns.
That’s how he can pull a stinkin shit covered fantasy out of his ass.
Terrific questions and write-up!!
How does it contradict the report?? I’m sure someone is in the process, but if we can get a list of pithy, precise and significant points we can email it out and push the envelope.
Thanks for great efforts on our country’s behalf!
If all else fails, I’m counting on Keith Olbermann to hit this propaganda out of the ballpark.
It wouldn’t matter if he was involved. Hamilton was picked for the 911 commission because he is spineless wimp – the last thing he would stand up for is the truth. This is man who let a known liar, Bush, appear before the commission with Cheney so they wouldn’t have to worry about crossing up each others LIES. Hamilton, had he ANY spine would have quit the commission on the spot when Bushy wouldn’t appear by himself under oath. Hamilton is a sellout to reality and the nation.
Lee Hamilton is a spineless whore.
Here’s what he did to “uncover” Iran Contra – from a talk by Robert Parry:
http://www.webcom.com/~lpease/…..speech.htm
Louise Slaughter’s on the case! Go, Louise!
Repeating Paul Lukasiak’s find, in case it gets swallowed up in eleventy-five-billion posts:
Thanks, Paul!
Also: Got this from a friend of mine. Copy and paste and spread the word:
Sadly Sally, KO only speaks to the converted, this will change the history books. You’ll see it as part of repugs campaigns for years to come.
He who controls the present, controls the past. He who controls the past, controls the future. [George Orwell - 1984]
I just sent the following to the Programming department link for WTAE TV4 (the ABC affiliate in Pittsburgh, PA). It is heavily lifted from Ed*ard Teller’s letter, which he sent to KIMO in Alaska (and posted in comment 93); Ed*ard, thank you for allowing me to borrow your eloquently-written text.
twolf1 @
4
ahem …
Mr. Iger,
I write to alert you that the broadcast of “Path to 9/11″ is an attempt to use ABC as a propaganda tool to disseminate political slander.
For the documentation of the deceptions portrayed in “Path to 9/11″
please see http://www.firedoglake.com/200…..cking-911/
I am substantially outraged at the failure of decent, accountable corporate governance to provide the leadership necessary to evade the liabilities that come with broadcasting documented falsehoods.
One would think that one’s public reputation alone would be too much to risk.
Especially once you have been alerted that you are being duped by partisan operatives who have twisted the truth for their political agenda and have used ABC as the conduit for their propaganda. It scarcely seems the appropriate way to serve the public’s interest while using the public’s airwaves.
I will be asking my family and friends to join me in boycotting the products and services of the advertising sponsors of this program. We shall make our local ABC affiliate KVUE24 and the sponsors aware of our intentions.
I feel that “Path to 9/11″ was an illegitimate production conceived to make incendiary charges at this emotional time for our nation. These charges’ divisiveness alone should call into question whether or not you should be broadcasting these false claims.
I do not see how this intentional misinformation contained in this program can do anything but tarnish ABC’s and Disney’s reputations. I believe that ABC and Disney management, employees and shareholders deserve to not be associated with the corruption of the facts in “Path to 9/11″.
I believe our country deserves better.
Yours truly,
(me)
(like_me)@yaddayadda.com
copied to (my abc affiliate)
Just a reminder that while you are writing to and spotlighting this article to ABC and it’s affiliates, please also take a few moments and contact ABC’s competitors, and the competitor’s affiliates.
ABC may be willing to go along with the flow and present this propaganda hit piece, but their competitors are probably going to be quite more receptive to pointing out its flaws. In this situation, the enemy of our enemy is indeed our friend hehe.
Re: Spotlighting
When I try to bring up the local NYC tv stations, I don’t see WABC listed anywhere. Any ideas?
This piece has many of the earmarks of a prohibited “coordinated communication” in 11 Code of Federal reg.s 109.20-109.22. “A coordinated communication is made for the purpose of influencing a Federal election, and is an in-kind contribution under 11 CFR 100.52 (d) to the candidate, authorized committee, or political party with whom or which it is coordinated, unless excepted, etc”. I wonder what discussions the writers, producers, directors and others involved in this project have had with Rove and the propaganda wing of the RNC.
I have very little remaining faith in any of our institutions to deal with this nonsense. If ABC has been programmed to deny the obvious propaganda implications of this broadcast, the only recourse seems to be arm waving, making a lot of noise and start boycotts.
The ONLY way to get this sh*t off the air is to attack the advertisersstarting NOW! If they pull out beforehand, problem solved.
“I am sorry but I do not have access to pre-viewings.
I would also advise you to take anything you read on the internet from political bloggers, be they liberal or conservative, with a great bug grain of salt. As a general rule, political activists, of all stripes, speak in half truths. I suspect this is the case with your source as well. _______________________________ Michael Palmer Vice President and General Manager
WVII-TV WFVX-TV
371 Target Industrial Circle
Bangor, ME 04401
Phone: 207-945-6457 ext. 3101
Fax: 207-942-0511″
SpaceCowboy @ 138
Please see comments 18 & 61.
Jane @ 103
Check your church’s portfolio, too.
Ask this…
Why does Scholastic.com have a lesson plan for Path to 9/11.
Here is the link and info:
9/11 Discussion Guide for ABC Miniseries
On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes, resulting in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people. They crashed the planes into the World Trade Center towers in New York City; the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia (outside Washington, D.C.); and a field in Pennsylvania. The world was changed forever.
Dear Teachers,
The tragic events of September 11, 2001, challenged the core of our humanity. The impact was felt across the world.
Americans have only begun to comprehend the national and global implications of 9/11. As a global community we try to make sense of what happened and why, and how it could have occurred. We rely on eyewitness accounts, the media, and personal dialogue for answers.
On the fifth anniversary of 9/11, The Path to 9/11 (an ABC miniseries that details the historical events leading up to 9/11, beginning with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing) will air as a nationwide broadcast. This dramatization of events is based on The 9/11 Commission Report, published in July 2004. Created by Congress and President Bush, the 9/11 Commission was a bipartisan group charged with providing an account of the events surrounding 9/11 and recommendations for preventing future attacks.
The Path to 9/11 offers your students and their families important information regarding the causes of and events leading to that tragic day. Encourage your students and their families to watch The Path to 9/11 and use the accompanying Resources and Discussion Guide pages to:
Track the historical time line of events before, during, and after 9/11
Lead critical discussions about these events
Use critical-thinking skills and analysis in classroom debate
It is important to look back over the past five years and consider the events that have occurred, what led to those events, and how they impact the future of our nation and the world.
Objectives:
To encourage students to gain a global understanding of communities and cultures
To engage critical-thinking and critical-viewing skills
To encourage student political awareness and involvement through discussion and debate
To promote media literacy to remind students to view what they absorb from the media with a critical eye
http://content.scholastic.com/…..jsp?id=415
Great idKurt @ 137
ea
jonerik @ 139
jonerik, I *love* you!
and I wrote back……..
“Thanks for your response. If you had simply stopped with your first sentence, I would have accepted that. That you felt compelled to respond as you have leads me to think that you are not interested in whether this program is accurate or misleading.
Thus I suspect that ABC TV speaks in half truths as well.”
Back in the day, there was another full-on propaganda miniseries written by Ben Stein, aired in the mid-80s: AMERIKA.
The difference? There was no pretense to link that fantasy with present American reality.
With the suppression of leftist opinions going on now, would ABC dare air a show that showed state censorship, mandatory travel documents and dissent portrayed as treason? I think not.
If someone were truly evil, they’d get a hold of a AMERIKA DVD, remix it to include Rummy’s speech last week, and shoot it out through YouTube. Hold up the mirror until they gag.
I just did the Spotlight thingy to 10 journalists – way cool!
COMING SOON to a Disney theme park near you:
TerrorismLand.
(or maybe TerrorismWorld??)
Hey, Disney did a movie/theme park tie-in with it’s “Pirates of the Caribbean,” so I foresee TerrorismLand replacing FrontierLand at Disneyland and Disneyworld.
The thrills. The chills.
Aw, c’mon. Disney and ABC are just green with envy over so many other Republicans make a financial killing off of Bush’s neverending Global War on Terror, so they’re just looking for a piece of the action. Even if it means making a docu-drama that is more like a docu-fantasy. But, wait, this would mean that Disney could just air “Path to 9/11″ as part of their FantasyLand package.
The thrills. The chills. The right-wing, wet dream fantasy…9/11 was all Bill Clinton’s fault. Yeah, right.
Bill Clinton did the best he could to counter the right-wing, religious terrorist threat while he was in the White House, even after having his hands ties behind his back by the Republican-controlled Congress. Of course, Clinton could have blown off Congress, the FISA court and the U.S. Constitution like King George and Grand Duke Cheney have been doing, but Clinton, being a true, patriotic American citizen, didn’t. I can tell the difference, and no ABC/Disney/FantasyLand docu-drama can change that.
Boycott Disney/ABC and all subsidiaries. Avoid all Disney theme parks. I am sure there are other subsidiaries than the ones below, including Miramax Films
Please note that George Mitchell, former Democratic senator, is chairman of the board. Let him hear it too.
ABC’s parent company, Disney, attempted to kill Michael Moores movie “Fahrenheit 911″ because it was deemed to politically partisan.
Why, now, has Disney become so willing to air the partisan works of a right wing extremist?
There is a shameless duplicity at work here.
I am stunned by the number of new faces on this thread.
Lurkers? New folks?
One thing I haven’t seen yet… does anyone know what the Jersey Girls think of this, um, steaming pile of, counter reality?
Have any of them seen this?
If they asked, were they even allowed to see it?
If the families of the 9/11 dead have a problem with ABC’s project, it’s news, and it will be a problem for ABC above and beyond what we’re doing directly. If any of you know any of these women and are in a position to ask them directly, much obliged.
OxyCon @ 152
Disney did not attempt to kill Fahrenheit. They weaseled out on a deal to distribute Fahrenheit and Moore did it on his own with a little bit of help from his friends. (Might have included the Weinstein brothers who sold Miramax to Disney. Not sure here.)
I heard that George Mitchell sold out – I think it was to the tobacco lobby – long ago. Someone correct me if I am wrong!
re my My 141 and 147 continuing exchange with Mike Palmer in BAngor is that he takes all organized protest with a big (corrected from bug) grain of salt,and usually it is the conservatives who are upset. Whatever. I’ll try another tack with others…….
midwestvoter @ 139
It is being presented without advertising.
Yep, ABC is airing 6 hours of propaganda with no commercial interruption or underwriting at all. Think about that.
So since we can’t go after the advertisers…since there aren’t any…we can go after the people who produced and funded the thing instead. Here is the imdb entry, with a lot of the production credits. It’s particularly interesting to google some of the other projects worked by some of those people, and what groups they are connected with. Let’s just say they are pretty partisan indeed.
me to me @ 67
as I said, page 128. the report is free on line, download it
I can’t seem to cut and pste off of it, I have it in front of me fight now
What’s the link? Since you have it in front of you.
Slade (133/135), I agree Hamilton is a “spineless wimp.” It’s better not to have a Democrat representative at all than the likes of Lee. As for KO, I’m hoping he makes a few conversions with his persuasive powers.
OldSow (141, 147, 159), I love your tenacity and wit. For an ABC person to accuse others of “half-truths” on this subject is particulary galling.
left a message at abc about never watching abc again if they run republican propaganda about 9/11. got the number from americablog:
Kevin Brockman
ABC Vice President for Publicity
(818) 460 6655
“The Road to 9/11″ was clearly written by the kind of men who NEVER ask for directions, no matter how lost they are.
Which is yet another disturbing-but-true analogy to describe our current administration.
Oy.
This is a copy of the email I just sent Schalastic.
I am an enthusiastic fan of the Harry Potter series and have supported Scholastic in this way in the past. I might, however, be purchasing and recommending Bloomsbury imports in the future. I do this with some reluctance because I am concerned about your company’s involvement in the pre-election attempt to reserect the sagging reputation of George W. Bush, the unelected president of the United States. Has your company waded into a controversy inadvertently? I would like to hope so.
I’ve just learnt this filth will be broadcast this weekend in the UK by the freaking BBC !!!
European Tribune will be the clearing house for our push back this side of the pond against this nonsense. Any help in arguments will be much appreciated.
Helen
The link in Slade’s 133 post shows the Iran-Contra story being exactly reenacted in Iraq. The self-styled freedom fighters lived to fight another day, this time using Bush the Younger and a huge supporting cast from all sectors of the U.S., including our shameful MSM.
this movie is identical in function and timing to the “swift boat” attack on sen kerry in 2004.
there is nothing more that needs be said about it other than that it is another karl rove’s third-party pre-election stunts to draw attention away from the bush administration’s domestic and foreign policy failures
but
as long as people fight about the content of the film or its fairness,
then
they will not be spending time talking about george bush’s six years of presidential misjudgments and misrepresentations.
or about
the failure of two republican congresses to engage in oversight of the president’s numerous and serious mistakes and misrepresentations.
the proper line of criticism on this film should not be its content but it’s deployment in september as a political tactic in an election year -
as yet another political lie designed by rove to allow bush and the republican party to avoid scrutiny and criticism.
I sent my local ABC affiliate in Chicago an email with my concerns. In a couple hours I got back a canned email which completely ignored everything I had written.
Its interesting to note that they actually aren’t “ours” any longer. They have been selling off the public airwaves for years.
http://www.webcom.com/hrin/magazine/fcc.html
Thank you for being so doggedly determined about this Jennifer, your voice is so appreciated.
Orion (170), at the risk of repeating myself, I’m for talking (shouting!) about it all. That will take time but it has to be done.
This nazi-based, fascist bush regime will stop at nothing. There are no limits to the evil they will do. Every word that comes from this administration is propaganda straight out of goebbel ’s playbook. Virtually everything they say is projection.
Next month, ABC will be airing the true story of the Viet Nam war as well, showing reruns of John Wayne’s “The Green Berets”.
I found it interesting that the IMDB listing for this piece did not have any actor credited for the role of George W. Bush.
I thought for sure he’d be played by Alan Smithee.
richn @ 170
This isn’t too surprising and doesn’t mean too much. Many organizations utilize software to manage in-bound email, send replies, track responses, etc. Receiving an auto reply does not mean that someone wont read it. Not apologizing or excusing, just trying to add some context.
However, I have to agree that it is a whole lot *less* satisfying than receiving a real response.
jonerik >”This piece has many of the earmarks of a prohibited “coordinated communication” in 11 Code of Federal reg.s 109.20-109.22. “A coordinated communication is made for the purpose of influencing a Federal election, and is an in-kind contribution under 11 CFR 100.52 (d) to the candidate, authorized committee, or political party with whom or which it is coordinated, unless excepted, etc”…”
Excellent point which I think should be included in each and every communication with local stations, ABC Network individuals, Disney corporate types, government bureaucrats etc.
Bringing this up as a point makes them aware that the complaints they are seeing are not just a bunch of uninformed yahoos (no offense to yahoo.com folks intended) yelling their heads off but well informed citizens like all good democracies (you remember that form of government correct ?) need to stay on the appropriate path.
Keep the legal side of this visable in everything you do.
“Republicans want to save face. Democrats want to save lives.” – egregious
just wait til disney changes their famous ride to “it’s a small world…thanks to republicans, who believe in small government” or “it’s a small world…but if we give halliburton a multibillion-dollar no-bid contract, they’ll make it a large world”
It’s important to let Apple know that you’ll be terminating your iTunes account if they redistribute this rubbish.
Katie Cotton
katiec@apple.com
Late to the party here, but this quote:
caused me to consider that this is perhaps a very public “servicing” (and I mean that in the Deep Throatiest sense of the word) of the Bush administration.
I have just submitted a comment to Scholastic. Any parent can sure make that first paragraph one of thank yous for years of service to children. It’s a perfect lead-in to further service by reviewing their relationship with ABC TV. I had great fun.
Wow! I don’t see this link anywhere, but I admit I did a pretty cursory look. I apologize if another commenter has posted it.
This is from IMBd – Earth’s Largest Movie Database (Yeah, the anagram is pretty odd)
Daily Variety reported on Tuesday that ABC has decided to play this movie as they did Private Ryan because it’s so controversial (their word).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0473404/news
Phoenix Woman @ 27
I am shocked that ABC will air a 9/11 mini-series that blatently misleads audiences with right-wing propaganda designed to further misinform the American public. Hell, half of the American public still believes Saddam had something to do with 9/11!
ABC may profit from the predictable controversy but airing a film designed to obfuscate Bush’s responsibility for 9/11 will cause ABC to suffer greatly in the estimation of serious people. ABC, leave the RNC propaganda to Fox, it’s not your demographic.
Michael Medved went after this article by Jennifer Nix on his Sept. 5 radio program.